Reshaping and renewal of the infrastructure

CFR SA has prepared a strategic plan for reshaping and renewal of the infrastructure, plan that will be developing till 2000, having as financial assistance a leasing contract with World Bank. The renewal of telecommunication system was also included in this plan and it is based on 3 projects:

• Highway network of cables with optical fiber of CFR, in length of 3500 km

As a result of the international public auction, proceeded on the criteria imposed by World Bank, from all nine companies (Alcatel, Pirelli, Nokia, BICC, Goldstar, Tomen, Samsung, Siemens, Ericsson), the auction was succeeded by Siemens, company that offered the required technical solutions through work progress slips at the lowest costs. The concluded contract designates the quantity of optical fibers cables, including assembly accessories, technical assistance and training of the personnel that will participate to the network installation.

The installation work were designated, after the auction in December 1998, to ISAF- SA Company for aerial installation and to ENERGO MONTAJ SA for underground installation.
In the present, the works are still executing. 969 km FO aerial cable and 51 km FO underground cable have already installed.

• CFR highway network of digital transmission (DTBN)

To achieve this project it is necessary to collect equipment for digital transmission SDII and synchronization, which will operate on the line network of optical fiber cables and will ensure the connection of Bucharest with the principal railway junctions (more than 400 railway stations). Due to the technical requirements imposed by accomplishing of IRIS project for infrastructure's and new operators' administration, with the up to date information applications, the network of digital transmissions was designed to transport binary information at high volume and speed using STM 1,4 and 16 framing from SDH structure. As a result of the international public auction, proceeded on the criteria imposed by World Bank, the auction was succeeded by Siemens Company from Germany. The project is at the early stage of delivering and assembling of equipment.

• Digital commutation network with integrate services

To accomplish this project it is necessary to achieve goods and equipment in order to replace 80% of actual automatic telephone network, which is superannuated.
The complexity of commutation network with integrate services, including a superior level of transit for ISDN and IRIS applications, requires achieving of the following equipment:

- Switches ISDN for local exchanges 225 pieces
- Switches ISDN for joint exchanges 46 pieces
- Switches ATM for access and distribution 11 pieces
- Switches ATM main lines 3 pieces

For users are provided the following types of ultimate equipment:

- Digital terminals 3.535 pieces
- Data terminals 200 pieces
- ISDN terminals 800 pieces
- Videoconference ultimate 134 pieces
- Party-line terminals 100 pieces

ISDN network of digital commutation will be interconnected and will operate the following networks:

- Public telephone network with automatic and semiautomatic input-output
- Railway telephone network of neighboring countries
- Data public network with commutation on packages X.25
- Other networks
- Commutation network on packages UIC (Hermes or succedents for applications like as Transinfo, Interfrigo, Intercontainer, and Docimel).

The technical documentation of this project in now being achieved, then it will be sent to World Bank for approval.
It is estimated that as a result of public auction, the contract with the winner company will be signed till the end of the year.
Through own and international funds an up to date system of telecommunication will be created; it will include networks of optical fibers, digital telephone switches ISDN, GSM-R network and line network of DTBM data transmission. This communication system will provide the support for the next systems of dispatching of railway traffic and energoalimentation, security of soil ground communication and data transmissions for railway information systems.

Replacing the classical cables with optical fiber cables (much cheaper and performing, with a capacity of 20 fibers and a life of 30 years), will overtake the necessity of CFR exploitation. Hence, it appeared the idea of utilization on telecommunication market of the excess of capacity. This could become an important source of incomes and CFR could become a public operator of telecommunication.

Thus, CFR professionals have achieved two studies. The first was related to renewal of CFR telecommunication network on the basis of leasing of transmission poles from Romtelcom, in conditions of tariffs with 10% discount given those of Romtelecom. The second was related to the possible incomes achieved through commercialization of the capacity surplus to the third party.
The costs to lease the transmission poles from Romtelecom only for the main junctions raised to 85.752.560 USD for 20 years. This means more than double than the situation of providing the necessary communications in 400 railway stations.
It was also estimated that by offering of some telecommunication services to a third party and by utilization the excess capacity of the future digital network, every year it would be possible to achieve incomes of at least 20 million USD. Taking into account the incomes from the new telecommunication digital networks, it was estimated that in 3 years and 11 months all the investments cost could be covered.
The studies made by CFR professionals proved that operating on the telecommunication market is in advantage both for institution and users and it does not necessary imply the competition with Romtelecom, but a completion of services offered on telecommunication market.

In present, the first operator in Romania remains Romtelecom, but since 1998, on the basis of Governmental Ordinance no.30, has begun the privatization process of telecommunications. Between Romtelecom and CFR it already exists a complementary activity: there are areas in Romania where CFR gets temporary use of the circuits of access network for voice and data transmission from Romtelecom and vice versa. Anyway, the Romanian telecommunication market is far away from covering the actual request on the market.

 Home | TimeTable | Freight | Passengers | Information Technology | Railway Journal  | Environment agreements | Foreign financed projects |